The Ultimate Guide to Buy the Best Baby Monitor
Baby monitor on the desk in home office. Parent is getting on with some work as the baby sleeps.
The baby monitoring system has become one of the most important necessities for modern parents. This system helps parents in monitoring the baby and tracking other important developments, such as heartbeat, breathing, temperature, etc.
More and more parents are opting for these monitors to ensure the baby is safe. It has become a vital device for parents willing to offer the best support and comfort to the child.
What is a baby monitor device?
A baby monitor is a system that tracks the audio and video from a baby’s room so that parents can keep an eye on the baby even from a distance. It primarily consists of a transmitter that is installed in the baby’s room and a receiver through which parents receive the feed.
Types of Baby Monitor System
The baby monitor market is witnessing exponential growth. Brands frequently introduce new products with cutting edge technology. This is enough to leave new parents baffled.
Nonetheless, it is no rocket science either. Continue reading this article and you will know how to make an informed purchase.
Let’s begin with the basic varieties of baby monitors.
- Audio and video baby monitors
Audio baby monitors track the sound coming from the baby’s room. Most of the baby monitors come up with a two-way audio intercom feature. This allows a parent to listen to the sounds coming from the baby’s room and communicate with the child. Parents can soothe the baby or sing lullabies to them.
Now, most of the baby monitors come with cameras to stream live video feeds. Such devices are becoming more popular among buyers. Parents feel more assured of the well-being of their babies when they can keep an eye on their kids. This feature provides more value and peace of mind to the parents.
However, audio-only baby monitors suffice for a small house or a family with a large number of people.
- Non-Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi baby monitors
Traditionally, baby monitors were operated by old-school Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) radio signals. Now, the baby monitor market is brimming with Wi-Fi baby monitors.
Wi-Fi monitors do offer advancement over analogue baby monitors in many ways. Wi-Fi monitors come with apps that help you tap into the feed from any place with an internet connection. Also, the audio and video feed is generally better in quality than analogue monitors.
The flexibility to add a plethora of other features such as sleep tracking, breathing etc is a big plus point for Wi-Fi monitors. Analogue monitors lag in offering such a wide range of services.
However, it doesn’t mean that analogue monitors are useless in today’s time. Analogue monitors are easy to set up and more reliable in case you have a weak internet connection. The last thing you would want would be an interrupted feed when you are out running errands. Besides, you also don’t need an app every time to check into your baby. The risk of security breaches also dwindles in analogue monitors.
Despite this, a Wi-Fi monitor is a better choice due to its ability to provide more features. These features can help you improvise as and when you need them.
- Wearable monitors
Today, baby monitors come with a whole package. They monitor heart rates, blood oxygen level, the sleeping pattern of the baby, breathing, etc. Many of such smart monitors can be worn or wrapped around the baby. But as a note of caution, experts suggest taking the data feed by these products with a pinch of salt. Also, many of these features may deem unnecessary to many parents.
Buying Guide for New Parents Should Follow
So, now you have a fair idea about all the variety of baby monitors available to you. But, which one is the best for you? Which of these features should you be paying for and which can you avoid? Questions like these are abounding to follow.
To help you with this, we have come up with a guide to assist you.
A good baby monitor fulfils these needs of yours –it is functional in your given circumstances, it can easily be carried from one place to another, it offers all the necessary features that you need and it fits your budget. In a nutshell, baby monitors give you a sense of security and peace of mind.
- Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi baby monitors:
We have already looked at the strengths and weaknesses of each of these types. If you are planning to go for analogue monitors, you are good to go. However, in the case of a Wi-Fi baby monitor, make sure you fulfil these prerequisites.
- High-speed internet connection:
For a high definition video to stream in real-time, a strong internet connection is essential. If you have access to Wi-Fi, that’s the best.
- Unlimited data:
Make sure you don’t end up with the required data to keep the baby monitor working. It is paramount that your baby camera is not sitting redundant when you need it the most.
To give you a perspective, an HD video camera may consume 1-2 GB of data in a few hours. One solution to this is a Wi-Fi network.
- A good phone battery: Wi-Fi monitors consume phone battery swiftly.
- Display:
A clear, high-definition display is paramount to see what your kid is exactly doing. Newer models come with a liquid crystal display which is also incorporated in mobile and TV screens. Such displays offer excellent video quality.
Another factor worth considering is the quality of the night vision of the camera. It would be non-viable to expect a bright, colourful night vision display. Even the best of models offers grey or slightly green display. However, do ensure clarity.
Portable base unit with good range: For an analogue baby monitor, a monitor base that has a wide range offers more flexibility to the parents. They can go out to get groceries, visit a neighbourhood or enjoy a brisk walk while simultaneously keeping an eye on the child.
In the case of Wi-Fi models, the apps in the Smartphone serve as a monitor. It can be tapped from anywhere that has an internet connection. Hence, it offers a wider range.
- Adjustable camera:
A good baby monitor should allow parents to follow their baby’s movements. This can be made possible when the camera can be panned from side to side, tilted or can zoom in and out.
This adjustment is made possible in two ways. You either have to manually adjust the camera or it can be done remotely without even touching the camera. When out shopping, look for remotely controlled cameras.
- Easily changeable camera lenses:
Camera lenses can offer a wide range of regular narrow-angle surveillance. The selection of any particular lens depends on where the camera is to be installed. If positioned near the crib, a wide range of cameras would be more suitable. On the contrary, a regular narrow angled camera would suffice if the camera is placed at a high corner of the wall.
Hence, a baby monitor that offers the choice to change the camera lens gives you the liberty to rearrange it as per your own needs.
- User friendliness:
Being a gadget, glitches are normal to creep in the baby monitor. Or, you may wish to shift the monitor from one room to another. However, the last thing you would want is to take the process days to complete because of its complexity.
Therefore, a user-friendly baby monitor increases its utility and desirability to a new level.
- Child Safety:
Apart from the regular safety precautions such as keeping children away from wires, water etc., the newer models come laced with advanced features that can monitor your baby’s heartbeat, sleep pattern, breathing, etc.
- Buyer receivers:
Buyers with a big house, especially with stairs, swimming pool, etc., would find multiple receivers useful, even necessary. These receivers can be installed at various locations in the house to keep the baby safe from potential threats.
Low battery indicator: Though it may appear a frivolous thing at first, a low battery indicator comes very handy once you start using baby monitors. After all, you don’t want to worry about charging the baby camera when you are in hurry to go out.
Top Three Baby Monitors to Look for
The market is flooded with unrecognized baby monitor products. They are affordable and may work fine in the beginning. This may lure the customer into buying that product. However, the problems start creeping in soon and you end up paying heftily for the sub-optimal product.
To help you out with this, we have filtered out the three best baby monitoring systems. They come with uncompromised quality, a variety of features and an overall satisfying experience.
If you are looking for the best product available in the market and budget is not a constraint to you, Nanit Pro Complete Baby Monitoring System should be your best bet. The astounding features provided by this product are such that it was named as one of the best inventions of 2018 by Time magazine.
The quality of its audio and video is one of the best in the market. One of the unique features provided by Nanit is “smart sheets” that measures the length of the baby. It also has a sleep tracking mechanism in place. It is made accessible by Nanit Insights subscription which is free for the first year. It also has Breathing wear.
However, its “peace of mind” feature is remarkable. It pushes notification when sound is detected or even when the temperature or humidity reaches undesirable levels. You can save pictures, record video clips as well. Despite being highly advanced, its installation is simple.
Infant Optics is undoubtedly the best non-Wi-Fi baby monitor with the best quality audio and video among non-Wi-Fi models. Its plug and play setup is exceptionally simple.
The best feature offered by Instant Optics has to be its Active Noise Reduction. It filters all other sounds coming from the room without having any effect on your baby’s sound. This enhances the audio feed exponentially.
Another remarkable feature of Infant Optics is its LED sound indicator. The LED lights up whenever it detects a sound in the baby’s room. So, even when you have kept your audio off, you will remain informed of your baby’s activities.
However, being a basic one, features like sleep tracking are missing.
Lollipop Smart Baby Camera is a good option for parents looking for affordable Wi-Fi baby monitors. It comes in three fun colours and offers a wide range of features such as breathing tracking, heart rate tracking, etc.
It does not offer temperature and humidity sensors. These features can be availed by buying a subscription after the first month. For the first month, it is offered for free.
One of the unique features of the Lollipop Smart Baby Monitor is its true crying detection, which detects the sound of crying of the baby from other noises or even breathing, coughing, etc. It also sets an alarm when the baby tries to cross a predefined safe area such as the crib.
The audio and video quality is good for the price though not one of the best available in the market. Also, the app may create trouble once in a while. Overall the product may not be among the top brass in the baby monitoring market, but it offers a satisfying experience on a tight budget.
The choice of the best product depends on your specific needs. After all, the best baby monitor is the one that fits you the best.
Conclusion
Parents cannot always ignore their office work or household chores. They have to manage everything along with ensuring the child is safe, comfortable, and happy. Baby monitoring systems have made it extremely simple to make sure the child is doing well. Therefore, it is an essential device for you if you got a young child at home.